Bathroom style refresh
With many of us housebound, fervour for home improvement has reached fever pitch in 2020. But transforming areas such as the bathroom doesn’t have to entail a full-blown renovation. By simply understanding the key trends of 2020, you can make clever stylistic choices to instantly update the mood of your bathroom.
HOTEL AT-HOME
Bring the holiday vibe right into your home! One of the biggest home makeover trends of 2020 is to take inspiration from the styling of boutique hotels and spas. Emulate that hotel bathroom environment with a Scandi-inspired decor that evokes a serene atmosphere. Think natural, touchable textures combined with smooth, white surfaces.
BRIGHT AND BUBBLY
Bathrooms needn’t be boring! In 2020, bathroom styling is steering away from the clinical look of a monotone or even monochrome bathroom, and is instead using the space to showcase fun and vibrant accessories. Embrace the trend by adding an artful array of colourful and patterned decor pieces to jazz up a neutral toned bathroom.
ALL ABOUT THAT BASIN
Our bathroom sinks are getting a workout as we all keep washing (and rewashing!) our hands. Luckily in 2020, there was already a movement towards making bathroom basins and vanities the showpiece area for luxe pieces. Eye-catching basin-side accessories with interesting textures and intricate details can add instant personality to your bathroom.
Huxley bath towels, $44.95, pillowtalk. com.au
Over the last few years, great strides have been taken towards raising awareness of domestic violence – and its horrifying prevalence in Australian society – but lesser known is the devastating toll it takes on children who witness and experience it. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 Personal Safety Survey, one in eight Australians aged 18 years and over experienced abuse before the age of 15.
The effects, which can be lifelong, include depression and anxiety, low self-esteem, the propensity to self-harm, eating and sleep disturbances, and physical pain. “When it comes to domestic and family abuse, children think that they’re responsible,” says survivor Emma*, 38, today a dean of students. “Children need to be heard and be respected.” It took close to two decades for Emma to find her voice, as she shares below, but now she’s passionate about doing so, as a path to creating positive change. “When adults normalise the conversation around domestic and family abuse, not only are they helping to remove the shame and stigma associated with it, they inadvertently help children to open up about it as well.”
EMMA’S STORY
“As a child survivor of domestic and family abuse, I grew up without a voice, frozen in
situations out of my control. I lived in a sub-culture where the father was the head of the household and had absolute authority.
“When my mother was being strangled by my father with a vacuum-cleaner pipe, all I could do was hide. When my father held a lit cigarette up to my sister’s hand threatening to burn it – all I could do was watch. And when my father threw a beer bottle at my head – I didn’t even feel it grazing me.
“Truthfully, I was always so terrified of saying the wrong thing that I didn’t say anything at all. I was constantly worried that something I said might set him off again, that it would be my fault if someone got hurt. When you have to walk on eggshells, silence becomes your defence.
“When I was in school, there were at least three occasions where I tried to tell my teachers what was going on at home, but each time, my comments were brushed over. It wasn’t until I was 20 that we left for good. By then, I had attended five high schools and lived in five women’s refuges across Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne with my mum and sister.
“It’s been 18 years since we left my dad, and it’s been a hard 18 years of learning first that I do have a voice, and second that people are going to listen when I use it.
“It is only now, almost two decades later, and through the DVNSW Voices for Change Media Advocacy project, that I have been able to give justice to myself, to the silent child I was forced to be.
“I wish I had known what domestic and family abuse was and I wish my teachers knew how to help me. I wish the doctor in Emergency and GP I saw after my father threw a beer bottle at my head would have given me more sound advice than to run away from home.
“It should come as no surprise then that I am passionate about education, early intervention, and primary prevention. The immediate solutions and provisions of support and housing for women and children leaving domestic and family abuse are as equally important as stopping the problem at the other end.
“We know that without fail one woman every nine days dies from domestic and family violence. We know that 1 in 6 girls and 1 in 9 boys are physically or sexually abused before the age of 15. We know that gender inequality is the core of the problem and the heart of the solution and we know that children develop gender identity as early as 2 years old.
“I wholeheartedly believe that with the right resources, tools and education, we can reduce current statistics. Our current reality does not need to be the reality for future generations.”
*Not her real name
HELPLINES
If a child is in imminent danger, call the police. If you have concerns about a child, make a child protection report by calling the Child Protection Helpline on 132 111. Children can call Kids Helpline for advice and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 1800 55 1800.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence, contact 1800RESPECT for free, confidential advice and support 24/7, online and by phone. Call 1800 737 732, or visit 1800RESPECT.ORG.AU
FURTHER RESOURCES
Educate2empower Publishing (e2epublishing. info) has books and teaching resources about consent, gender equality, respectful relationships and body safety aimed at children from age 2. “I wish these books were available to me growing up, they would have helped a lot,” says survivor Emma.